Harbour Falls (A Harbour Falls Mystery #1)(27)

“Oh, Helena,” I said, shaking my head. Though it may have been foolish, my heart ached for Adam. Nobody deserved to be treated like that. “What did Adam do?”

She sighed. “He just turned and walked away, disgusted. He knew then, Maddy. Everything he’d ever suspected, rumors he may have heard, everything. In that instant, he knew it was all true.”

“That’s terrible,” I mumbled.

Helena raised an eyebrow. “You think that’s bad? It got crazier two days later.”

“Why? What happened?”



“Chelsea calls to inform me she and Adam had just gotten engaged.”

“What?” I said. “That doesn’t make any sense.”

“Tell me about it.” Helena shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know. But think of it this way: If someone knew something about you, like, maybe it’s something nobody else in the whole world knows. Maybe it’s too dangerous to reveal.” I was mesmerized as Helena continued, “If that person who knows your secret threatened to expose it, would you have a choice? Other than to go along with whatever that individual wanted?”

“I guess not,” I said, shaking my head. What was this secret?

“There’s one more thing.” Helena leaned in close to the table. “Nate confronted Adam a few days after the official engagement announcement.”

“What did he say?” I asked.

“Nate asked him outright if Chelsea was blackmailing him, because there was no other possible explanation. Not after what went down at that bar with her and J.T. O’Brien.” Helena made a face of disgust.

“Did he have an explanation?” I leaned in close to the table as well.

“He didn’t deny it, but Nate told me it was the one and only time he ever feared Adam.” Helena met my eyes.

“Why?” I was on the edge of my seat. Literally.

“He said Adam was defensive, not like himself at all. He insisted Nate drop it. But it was the way Adam said it that bothered Nate. He told me he knew then that whatever it was Chelsea was holding over Adam, it was probably going to end badly.”

I swallowed hard. “You don’t think Adam—”

“Of course not,” she cut in.

I didn’t want to entertain the possibility of Adam playing a role in the disappearance either, so I changed direction. “Well, do you think Chelsea was still seeing J.T.? I mean, after that night?” I thought about how Jimmy had said she started bringing J.T. back to Billy’s. Even after he was married to Jennifer, after Chelsea and Adam were engaged.



“Maybe not at first,” Helena said thoughtfully. “But I always suspected it started back up again not long afterward. The crazy thing is that two weeks after that whole incident in Harbourtown, J.T. ran off with Jennifer Weston to Vegas to get married.”

“That’s odd,” I said, trying to sound like I hadn’t already been privy to this information too.

“Yeah, poor Jennifer. Guess J.T. married her on the rebound, probably to one-up Chelsea for getting engaged.”

“Oh, Helena.” I sighed in resignation. “It’s so much more complicated than I even imagined.” I rested my elbows on the table and put my head in my hands.

“I know, Maddy,” she replied in a soothing tone. “But it’s all in the past. Adam really is a good guy. Don’t let those ghosts from the past haunt the present.”

I ventured a tired glance up at Helena. “You’re probably right.”

“Trust me, I am,” she said.

More than anything I wanted to believe Adam was a “good guy.” My heart believed it, but my head was spinning, filled with uncertainty. How much had Adam known? Obviously his suspicions were confirmed by what he’d witnessed at Billy’s. But had he also known when Chelsea and J.T. resumed their relationship? And though I’d not breathed a word to Helena about what I’d discovered at Billy’s, I had to wonder if Adam had been aware of everything Chelsea was up to, including the random men…and the mystery blonde.

Lies, blackmail, affairs, deceit.

Not to mention were things really over between Adam and Lindsey? I certainly had no intention of becoming Adam’s new side dish.

The earlier excitement I’d felt about my impending date with Adam was waning. Sure, the man was incredibly appealing, but it seemed like I was being repeatedly reminded of why I should back off. Like fate was trying to warn me.

But instead of backing off, I chose to dive in deeper.





Chapter 8



Despite my misgivings, I couldn’t help but feel a surge of anticipation when I heard Adam’s Porsche pull into the driveway of my cottage. Seven o’clock sharp, the clock in the front hall confirmed with a series of lyrical chimes.

I smoothed the long, lacy sleeves of the black, crinkled-silk couture dress I’d fortunately thought to pack before leaving LA. Turning to check out the back view in the full-length mirror that hung on the wall near the front door, I was pleased to find the dress fit snugly in all the right places, the short hemline showing off a fair amount of bare leg. Definitely quite a sexy little dress, I thought, hopeful that Adam would agree.

Just then the doorbell chimed. I quickly stepped into my black leather stiletto heels with the trademark red soles. With a nervous touch to the tendrils of my upswept hair that were framing my lightly made-up face, I took a deep breath and opened the front door.